Clinch River above Tazewell, TN
River level and flood forecast · Claiborne County
The river is 9.8 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.1 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 1,250 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:23 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 21 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (April 5, 1977) | 29.32 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 21 ftA few structures along the river flood. Backwater moving upstream begins to affect the town of Sneedville, Hancock County, Tennessee. The city of Tazewell, Tennessee is not affected by flooding of the Clinch River.
- 18.9 ftBy the time the river reaches Hwy 25E, it may be interacting with the pool of Norris Lake. For example, a stage of 18.9 at the stream gage on 02/17/2025 left flood debris on low spots of Riverside Road downstream from Hwy 25E. Thus the stage there is affected by the river and the lake pools.
- 16 ftExtensive flooding of pasture land around Grissom Island occurs. Flooding likely of portions of roads such as River Bend Road, Grissom Island Lane, Pawpaw Road, and Porter Johns Road.
- 13 ftThe road within a quarter mile of the gage begins to flood.
- 12 ftFlooding of pasture land near Grissom Island begins. The city of Tazewell, Tennessee is not affected by flooding of the Clinch River.
- 10 ftAction stage.
Highest crests on record
- 29.32 ft — April 5, 1977
- 24 ft — February 1, 1962
- 22.27 ft — March 13, 1963
- 21.37 ft — March 19, 2002
- 21.02 ft — March 17, 1973
Recent crests: 18.89 ft (February 17, 2025) · 12.18 ft (February 14, 2025) · 12.85 ft (February 2, 2025) · 15.41 ft (February 18, 2023) · 12.68 ft (February 25, 2022)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (TAZT1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.